National Republican., 1887-09-26

head there, and throw the piummet another
way. and break head there and then they
pate. Fools Why will you stand at the foot
OF the wall measuring up when you ought to
stand at the top measuring down A few days
ago was in, the country, thirsty after long
was blowing soap bubbles, and they
rolled out of the cup, blue. aud gold, aud
bicular, and in so small n space l never saw
more splendor concentrated. But she blew
once too often, and all the glory vanished into
water. and was refreshed. And so far as soul
thirst is concerned ] put against all the glow
ing elitterlng soap.bubbles Of worldly reform
fountain from under The throne Of God. clear
as crystal. Glory be to God for the religion
that drops from above. not coming up. from
what seest thou 2 and / said n plumb line"
want you to notice this fact, that when aman
gives up the straight up and.down religion In
hear OF his change OF religion. aud then you
hear OF some swindle he has practiced in Colo.
rado mining stock, telling some one II he will
| put In $4,000 he can take out hundred
thousand, or he has sacrificed his chastity, or
plunged into irremendiabe worldliness. His
sins are SO broad he has to broaden his religion,
and he becomes as broad as temptation, ai
| broad as the souls darkness as broad as hell
| They want religion that will allow them to
keep their sins, and then at death say to them:
that tells them "All is well for there Is no
he'll" What a glorious heaven they hold be-
fore US Come, let us 20 In and see 1t. There
There is Charles Guiteau and Jim Fiske, and
Robespierre, the friend OF the French gull
lotine, and all the liars thieves, house.burn.
all the centuries. They have all got crowns,
when they chant they sing THANKSGIVING,
religion that let lis ali into heaven without
tepentance and faith In those dlsgracoful
dogmas OF ecclesiastical old.fogyism."
My text gives ME grand opportunity of saw.
Ing ausefnl word to all young men who are now
| formiug habits for a lifetime. OF what use TO
asonemeson or a bricklayer Is plumb line2
hand? Because they are insufficient: because
II there be detection 10 the wall It cannot
iurther on be corrected; because. by the law Of
gravitatioD, a wall must be straight in order to
be symmetrical and safe. A young man is In
| danger OF getting defect in his wall of char
acter That may never be corrected. One of the
| at GO years of age, though he had not since q
years of age-oefore which time he had been
| dissipated-touched Intoxicating liquor until
that particular earousal that took him OIL.
| Not feeling well in street on a hot sum.
| mer day, he stepped into drug store. juet as
| you and l would have DONE aud asked for
better. And there was alcohol in the dose,
and that one dose aroused the old appe-
tite. and he entered the first liquor store aud
stayed there until thoroughly under the power
OF rum: He entered his home a raving ma
MAC, bis wife and daughters fleeing from his
presence until he was taken 70 the city hos
| pital to die. The combustible material of
early habit he'd lain quiet nearly forty years,
| and that one spark ignited the connagratiou.
Remember that the wall may be one hundred
feet high, and yet a DETECTION one foot from
the foundation affects the entire structure.
And II you live hundred years and do right
the last eighth years, you may. nevertheless,
damage ali your earSy existease 81 'na All Wi yo
| who have built houses for yourself or others,
am not right in saying to these young men,
Sas of Ts the eSaraesr asR
| of its foundation. A man before thirty years of
age may commit enough sin to last him a life
| time. A cat that has killed one pigeon cannot
be cured. Keep it from killing the first pigeou.
Now, John. or George, or Charles or William,
or Alexander. or Andrew, or Henry. or what.
i ever be your Christian name or surname, say
here and now, "No wild oats for me, no cigars
or cigarettes for me. no wine or beer for me, no
nasty stories for me. no Sunday. sprees for me-
am going to start right, and keep on right
God help me, for am very weak. From the
throne of eternal righteousness let down to me
the principles by which can be guided in
building everything. from foundation to cap
stone. Lord God, by the wounded hand Of
| Christ, throw me plumb line ~
Lord Nelson's general direction when going
that places his ship close alongside that Of the
enemy: My friend, you will never do wrong
If you keep your life close alongside the ten
brave as Maria Theresa, who rode up the hill
| of defiance and shook her sword at the four
corners Of the earth
from all fun Oh p mo- ike sGuns ns I9eI beeve eVs
| In fun; have had lots of IL in my time. But
have not had to go into paths of sin to find 1t.
nary parental example and influence m / was
Kept from outward trnnsgressions, though my
| heart was bad enough end desperately
| wicked. i have had fun illimiabe, though
| never swore one oath and never gambled ior
so much as the value OF a pin, and never
saw the inside Of q haunt Of siu save as when
| ten years ago. with commissioner of police ana
detective and two elders OF my church,
explored these cities of midnight, not ont of
| curiosity, but that might in pulpit discourse
rors OF underground city life, Yet, though
| never was intoxicated ior nn inStaAt, and never
committed one act OF dsso uteness. re.
faheo whnh oniy ay Ihe srhce hcn OF God without
| to the bottom Of ininmy, have had SO much
| fun that don't believe there is u man on the
| planet In the present time who has had more?
Hear 1t, men ana boys: women aud airls, all
| the fun IL on the side of right. Sin may seem
attractive, but 1t Is ful. aud like the man-
chineel. a tree whose dews are poisonous The
| only genuine happiness Is in an homes. Christ
Ian life. The Chippewa, wanting to see God,
blachens his face with charcoal aud fasts
till he has vision OF what he calls Goa My
! Jet the sunshine blaze In my face, and after
reasonable breakfast He Is not God of
blaskness and Starvation but OF light aud
| plenitude, and the glory of the MONDAY sun
| Is Egyptian midnight compared to 1t. There
they go-two brothers. Tue one was converted
| Q year ago in church, one Sunday morning,
| during prayer, or sermon, or hymn No one
knew II at the time. The persons on either
side of HIM suspected nothing, but in that
young mans soul this process went on: Lord,
OF city life, and am afraid to risk them alone;
come and be my pardon and my help; save me
from making the mistake that some
OF my comrades are making, and save
| me now: And quicker than fash Goi rolled
heaven into his soul He is Just as jolly as no
used 10 be. is just as brillantas he used TO be.
| before he was converted. With gun or fishing
rod in his summer vacation he was Just as skill
| fnl as before. The world is brighter to him
innocent hiarity. social life, good Jokes,
| and has plenty of fun, first class fun,
glorious fun, But his brother is going
from the champagne debanch. Everyb Idy
sees he is in rapid descent What cares ne for
right, or decerey. or the honor of his family
in health, cast down in spirits the typhoid
| fever strikes him in the smallest room on the
fourth story of fifth rate boarding house,
pillow, which is besweated and torn to
rags. He plunges out Of this world with the
that Kind of fun It Is remorse, 1t is despair.
| il is blackness Of darkness. 1t is woe unend-
| ipg and long reverberating, and crushing as
rolled on him in one avalanche. MY soul,
stand back from such iun. Young man, there
Is no fun In shipwrecking your character, no
fun in disgracing your fathers name. There
heart There is no fun In the physical
pangs OF the dissolute. There is
no fun In the profigate's deathbed There is
no tnn in an undone eternity Paracesus, out
of the ashes OF burnt rose, said he could re-
create the rose, but he failed in the alchemic
undertaking; ana roseate lite once burned
n m la m.
som.
oh, this plumb line OF the everlasting right
God Will throw IL over all our lives 10 show us
our moral defleCtlOns. God will throw IL over
all churches to show whether thev are doing
useful work or are standing Instances Of idle.
ness and pTetepse He viii throw that PLUMB